Modern machinery has long included rotating components, which are generally supported by bearings, to journal the rotating part in a body, chassis, frame or other structural element of the machinery. Bearings in rotation generate heat due to friction. The amount of heat generated will vary depending upon the state of lubrication of the bearing, the magnitude of lateral loads being transmitted through the bearing and its speed of rotation, among other factors.
Overheating in bearings can be a problem, since it can result in distortion and/or heat damage to components of the bearing. Additionally, such overheating can cause distortion, fatigue and heat damage to surrounding components or machinery in which the bearing is mounted. This can all result in reduced life of the components of the bearing itself and of machinery into which it is mounted. To address this, control feedback systems can be implements, which monitor a temperature conditions at or near to a bearing, and the machinery into which the bearing is mounted can be slowed or shut down to reduce or prevent damage due to overheating or operation at excessive temperatures.
In a known bearing mounting arrangement, a temperature sensor is mounted within a structure to which a bearing is mounted, at distance from the bearing, to monitor conditions of the bearing. This avoids issues of housing the temperature sensor in close proximity to the bearing, which can be problematic, since loads and fatigue limits must be carefully calculated where a bearing is mounted and modifying the structure in such critical regions can be complex. Further, the presence of rotating components in close proximity to a bearing can make it difficult to mount a temperature sensor close to parts of a bearing which are vulnerable to overheating.
The present invention seeks to address the drawbacks of known temperature sensor mounting arrangements.